WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
Next Tuesday, April 18, is Tax Day. If you haven’t filed yet, the time for procrastinating is over. If you have your taxes done professionally, I wish you the best of luck, because tax preparers have been busy for the past couple of months. You just could not file this year, then later when the IRS contacts you asking about your failure to file, just say, “I guess I just forgot.” This excuse usually never works.
We’ve been receiving quite a bit of rain lately. If anyone is interested in investing in an ark, I Noah guy.
If you are energetic and have all of your spring cleaning done, here are some things you might want to check to see if they could use some soap and water:
Ceiling fan blades. These aren’t always that noticeable, because they aren’t at eye-level, but they can cause problems by increasing circulation of airborne allergens. Every time you turn on that ceiling fan to offer relief on a hot, humid day, the fan’s blades scatters the dust and pollen that has collected over the winter months. Sniffling and sneezing usually follow. All you need to do is wipe the blades down with a damp cloth on a regular basis.
Reusable shopping bags. These bags are becoming more and more popular, because plastic bags have gotten a lot of bad press because of recycling. Most of the time, these reusuable bags are thrown back into the trunk of your car without being cleaned or wiped out with disinfectant. They are therefore breeding grounds for bacteria. Bacteria really grows if the bag had held leaked meat juice and been left in the car trunk for two hours.
Dryer vent. The lint screen in your dryer is usually wiped clean after each use, because a clogged lint screen is a fire hazard. The vent of the dryer is something that can be easily ignored. Lint can get trapped in the vent that runs from your dryer to the outside of the house. Failure to clean the vent has been linked to $35 million in fire losses every year. All you need to do is take a skinny brush with a long handle and do the job. There are people who will come and take care of this for you, but they will want to get paid. This only needs to be done every three months.
Mattress. It’s rumored that if we were all aware of the tiny bacteria bugs that call a mattress their home, we’d never get a good night’s sleep again. A 2018 study published in “Royal Society Open Science” compared the number of bacteria in chimpanzee beds to that in human beds. It seems our primate ancestors maintained cleaner sleeping environments, with just 3.5 percent of bacteria coming from their skin, saliva and feces compared to 35 percent in human beds. A thorough bed cleaning using a vacuum and baking soda should be done every six months. Sleep well tonight.
Kitchen sponge. This cleaning device might be dirtier than the surfaces you want to clean. Researchers have found 309 different species of bacteria from salmonella to listeria. Bacteria counts are highest after just three days. To be safe, replace that sponge after two or three days.
No one wants to spend more time cleaning, but the extra effort will leave you with a healthier home.
See you Out and About!
Submitted by Norm Stutesman
